Huawei Says Received DoT Invite to Take Part in 5G Trials in India

Putting speculation about its participation in India’s 5G roll-out process to rest, Chinese telecom giant Huawei on Friday said it had received an invitation from the Department of Telecommunications to take part in the trials for development of 5G use cases in India.

Huawei said it received the DoT letter on September 27, within two days of the cabinet approving the new telecom policy, the National Digital Communications Policy 2018.

“We appreciate India’s collaborative and open approach towards Huawei. The country is on the right track to develop 5G network and Huawei remains committed to adding value to the services that roll out of this technology would unleash,” Jay Chen, CEO of Huawei India told IANS.

Huawei’s participation in India’s 5G roll out process has been keenly observed following reports last month that suggested that the company, along with another Chinese player ZTE, was excluded from the list of companies that were selected by DoT to participate in 5G trial of use cases.

Huawei said it could start the trials for 5G use cases as early as end of this year and that they could run for three to four weeks.

“Huawei’s leading technology and world-class solutions customised for Indian specific needs are recognised by the Indian government and industry,” Chen said.

“Through the proposed trials, Huawei plans to contribute for development of timely and high-quality 5G technology and use cases that will enable social and economic development in India for consumers and industry,” he added.

Huawei said it would collaborate with the industry, academia and the state governments for the 5G trials which would start after the allocation of spectrum and other formalities are completed.

Huawei’s trial for 5G use cases would include areas such as enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and wireless to the x (WTTx) — an advanced wireless broadband access solution proposed by Huawei – among others.

“The discourse on telecommunication in India has changed from availability and affordability to that of quality and improved customer experience. With India’s emphasis on adoption of emerging technologies, the country is set to become the most dynamic market in the world in the next five years,” Chen said.